I recently noticed that one of the seals on the Ohlins front forks of my Multistrada S is slightly leaking. Does anyone have experience with this and know: 1) The conventions surrounding warranty claims in this context, and 2) Whether there are any quick-fixes that I can try myself or advise the dealer to do, rather than having them replace the whole Ohlins unit (which I imagine would be a fortune if not covered by warranty ). Thanks
Not sure on a warranty claim but you can change a fork seal yourself if you have the technical know how, if not then a dealer or any bike mechanic can do it without replacing the whole fork unit.
I have read about resetting the seal lips can fix it, but I see no reason why it wouldn`t be covered unless you are a beach racer . They wouldn`t replace the leg unless it was damaged just the seal.
An old dodge I use on my enduro bike is to slip a feeler gauge up the fork leg and quietly work it around the fork leg drawing it downwards, this should clean out any bit of grit that might be causing the leak.
Under warranty or try this! Motion Pro Seal Mate - Fork Seal Cleaner - Fork Tools & Accessories - Motocross Suspension - Parts Accessories - by Motion
Use your warranty, but if your desperate when I was motor crossing years back we'd make a seal scraper like the tool in the video out of an old margarine tub, squirt some WD40 up there first and take the weight off the fork leg.
My seals on my 1098s were leaking. I have a new set in the garage but before fitting I made the seal scraper from a piece of Acetate sheet. The new seals are still in the drawer
Sigh.... Just been out to the shed to be confronted by a puddle of oil under the N/S fork. These bikes really are made of cheese and recycled Chinese steel aren't they? This may well be the straw that breaks the camels back.
Don't condemn it based on a leaky oil seal, this is down to Ohlins or Sachs (whichever model you have) I had the same problem with my Ohlins front forks, Dealer replaced them under warrany without any problems so you should be ok
It's out of warranty. Plus the 15k service will be due in the spring. What annoys is it's not the leg that was replaced under warranty this year. What a surprise.
lol, if it were the new leg then I would be surprised. its a simple fix. Sure it will cost due to labour, but its not exactly a big deal. Try the scraper method first, and if that doesnt fix it, then book it in. if its out of warranty there is no need to go to a main dealer, try a suspension or ohlins specialist instead. Steve Jordans in Bookham is a good place to try, they rebuilt the rear damper preload unit on my last bike.
Yup, I'd say that's a valid warranty job. Ducati replaced a pair of front brake discs for me. It was obvious they'd been cooked and coloured on trackdays but the dealer (Moto Italia, Lincoln) got them renewed under warranty. Ace!
Ohlins and leaking fork seals go hand in hand. Just look on Aprilia forums to see. Not the fault of Ducati. I am sure one of the fixes used to be using non Ohlins seals....Suzuki gsxr...link found Ohlins fork seal life
BTW, how many miles on the bike? Could be the opportunity to service the suspension, its the part people overlook..
Suspension was serviced at the last service by Riders in March. I've had Ohlins on other bikes in the past (including Aprilias) and never had a seal fail before. The bike is a 2011 machine. Saying it's a common problem doesn't excuse it does it? I now have fork oil all over the wheel, caliper, pads and floor FFS.
